NEW LEADERSHIP ERA AT NKY CONVENTION CENTER

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Betty Burns
(816) 679-4074

Pat Frew, Director of Communications
859-655-4163
E-Mail:  Pressroom@nkycvb.com | www.nkycvb.com

Covington, KY/august 17, 2006—The leadership change has already officially occurred at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center but the finality of it will be hitting home soon.

A goodbye reception at the Center will be held Wednesday evening, August 23rd, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Charles Wheeler, the only leader the facility had ever known before he retired July 31st.

Wheeler arrived in Northern Kentucky in 1996, two full years before the Center was completed.  He oversaw the construction and startup operations.  Over its brief history the Center has outpaced booking and economic projections by 41 percent and has actually posted positive income, a rare feat in the meetings and conventions business.

At Wednesday night’s going-away party, Wheeler is slated to receive proclamations from city, county and state officials.  Approximately 200 well-wishers are expected to attend the invitation-only event.  A smaller, more private farewell will be held at noon, Friday, August 25th for Center staff and its Board of Directors as well as staff from the Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Wheeler’s replacement Gretchen Landrum had been the Center’s Director of Sales and Marketing the previous six years.  She inherits oversight of the Center’s $3 million budget and a $2.8 million catering operation (Masterpiece Creations).

Landrum’s leadership comes at a crucial time.  Center officials have announced they hope to expand the facility by 2010.  The building’s appearance and capabilities have been updated, with $575,000 invested in the past year.  New carpeting has been installed.  Telecommunications improvements enhanced web conferencing and wireless capabilities.  The most ambitious effort this summer involved upgrading interior walls and the ceiling of the 46,200-square foot exhibit hall.

The mission of the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau is that of an aggressive sales, marketing, service and informational organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact the Northern Kentucky economy through conventions, meetings and visitor expenditures.  The direct economic impact of visitors’ spending in Campbell, Kenton and Boone Counties in 2005 was $255 million.

The mission of the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau is that of an aggressive sales, marketing, service and informational organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact the Northern Kentucky economy through conventions, meetings and visitor expenditures.  The direct economic impact of visitors’ spending in Campbell, Kenton and Boone Counties in 2006 was $263 million.